2021 Community Profile Table of Contents
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
KITIMAT 2021 COMMUNITY PROFILE TABLE OF CONTENTS 01 GENERAL INFORMATION 02 Location 03 History 06 Climate 08 DEMOGRAPHICS 09 Population 09 Ethnic Origin 10 Citizenship 10 Place of Birth 11 Mother Tongue 12 Mobility Status 13 Immigrant Population 13 Age Distribution 14 Education 16 Housing 17 Labour Force Activity 18 Income 19 ECONOMIC SECTORS 20 Rio Tinto BC Works 21 Tourism 23 LNG Canada 01 GENERAL INFORMATION 1 BRITISH COLUMBIA ALBERTA MANITOBA SASKATCHEWAN VANCOUVER PACIFIC ONTARIO OCEAN LOCATION Kitimat is a Pacific Rim gateway located approximately 650 km northwest of Vancouver and 110 km east of Prince Rupert. Kitimat sits at the head of Kitimat Arm, a wide fjord that extends northeast from Douglas Channel. The surrounding Coast Mountains create a sheltered harbour 90 km from open water, suitable for deep sea transport. A predominantly flat valley more than 5 km wide connects Kitimat to Terrace, 60 km to the north. Incorporation Date: The Kitimat townsite currently occupies March 31, 1953 approximately 7.5 km2 of land on the east side of the Kitimat River. Port and industrial areas Land Area: cover an additional 4.75 km2 on the west side 2 240.01 km of the river, downstream from the townsite. 2 HISTORY Long before the first European settlers moved to Rupert was chosen for the railway terminus. A the Kitimat Valley, the Haisla Nation had estab- provincial reserve prevented further piecemeal lished a summer village on the east shore of development. By 1941, all but a few of these Kitimat Arm. Winter quarters were located about early European settlers had departed. 3 km upriver. The native economy was based primarily on salmon and oolichan fishing. Fields The modern town of Kitimat became a reality in at the winter village were cultivated, and struc- 1950, when the Aluminum Company of Canada tures were erected to store fish caught during (Alcan) chose a site at the head of Kitimat Arm the summer and fall months. for an aluminum smelter. The potential for, and proximity of, hydroelectric power was a major In the early 1900s, Kitimat was a candidate site factor in selecting the site. A dam was built for the Grand Trunk Railway’s western terminus. on the Nechako River and a tunnel was drilled A railway route was surveyed and by 1906, set- through the Coast Mountains, allowing water to tlers moving into the valley had created a land fall 792 metres inside Mount Tahtsa to the Ke- boom. A wharf and hotel were built and the mano powerhouse at sea level. The powerhouse right-of-way for a road to Terrace was cleared. is connected to the Kitimat smelter by an 82 km This activity was short-lived, ending when Prince transmission line. 3 Construction of the Kitimat townsite was also a major retail stores, commercial buildings and major undertaking. Wilderness was transformed government offices located in the downtown into an eye-catching town that could attract centre. In keeping with the pedestrian friendly workers and lead to permanent home devel- town planning, the downtown centre is orga- opment. With this in mind, Kitimat has been a nized as a pedestrian friendly mall rather than well-planned town with a high quality family and a car-oriented main street, with all areas con- community life since 1953. nected through walkways. Service, storage, and supply businesses, as well as industrial repair Alcan hired the first town planners and invested shops and auto sales, are located on the west heavily in the initial planning which is based on side of the river in the light industrial area called the Garden City concept. The result is that Kiti- Service Centre. mat is a highly walkable, desirable place to live with individual residential neighbourhoods laid From the outset, the entire vision and design for out as super blocks. The homes are accessed by Kitimat anticipated and encouraged industrial short local streets and many of them face green development. A pulp and paper mill was expected spaces containing a system of pedestrian walk- to be an early industrial tenant, but it was not ways over 45 km long. Augmenting the tranquil, until 1969 that the Eurocan facility was built. community feel of these neighbourhoods is the Eurocan ceased operations in 2010. Methanex, a fact that through traffic is routed around the methanol and ammonia plant, also operated in periphery of each neighbourhood. This both Kitimat until early 2006. Now a new wave of increases pedestrian safety and reduces noise development is underway with the October 2018 levels on interior streets. These lovely residential announcement of a $40 billion investment by blocks are complemented by a downtown cen- Royal Dutch Shell PLC and its Asian partners tre, service centre, and industrial area with most for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export 4 terminal to be built in Kitimat. Complementing 1952. The closure of Eurocan and Methanex also this investment, a new gas pipeline is being affected Kitimat’s workforce and population. The planned to connect the LNG port to the Montney constant has been industrial activity and clearly natural gas formation in northeast BC. more industrial growth is in Kitimat’s future. The original town planners projected Kitimat’s Another factor is the failure to account for the population would reach 35,000 to 50,000, symbiotic relationship between Kitimat and closely paralleling industrial development and Terrace. The regional population has approached levelling off after each expansion project or new 30,000 in the past but this was divided amongst industry was established. The factors which Kitimat, Terrace, and the surrounding outlying generated such optimism are still here today: flat settlements. land suitable for industrial development, signif- icant sand and gravel resources, secure hydro- Kitimat’s population peaked at approximately electric power supply and a deep water harbour. 13,000 during the late 1970s and early 1980’s. With the October 2018 announcement of the Overall, growth in Kitimat has been lower than LNG Canada export facility and with construc- expected mostly because of changing technol- tion projects underway, population growth is ogies and the global economy. The Rio Tinto expected. (formerly Alcan) aluminium smelter employs less than one third of the workforce predicted in As of May 2016, Kitimat’s labour force is estimated at 4,230 people. 5 CLIMATE Climate was carefully considered when development of Kitimat took place. Streets were designed to give most homes southwest exposure, maximizing both sunlight and protection from winter winds and snow. Emissions from the industrial area are naturally carried away from residential areas, south down Kitimat Arm or north along the western side of the valley. Kitimat’s climate compares favourably to that of neighbouring coastal and interior communities: KITIMAT KITIMAT TERRACE PRINCE RUPERT TOWNSITE 2017* TOWNSITE LTA** AIRPORT LTA** AIRPORT LTA** RAINFALL (MM) 1597 1886.1 1025.3 2530.4 SNOW (CM) 557 324.6 331.5 92.4 TOTAL PRECIPITATION (MM) 2154 2210.7 1340.8 2619.1 SUNSHINE PRESENCE (HRS) N/A 1449.9 1486.5 1242.1 SUNSHINE PRESENCE (DAYS) N/A 238.2 266.9 251.5 WARMEST DAY (°C) 35 (AUG. 5) 37 37.3 31.1 COOLEST DAY (°C) -19 (JAN. 13) -25 -26.7 -24.4 DAILY AVERAGE TEMP. (°C) 7.7 7.4 6.6 7.5 LTA = Long Term Average *2017 data, “Kitimat Townsite” taken from Environment Canada Monthly Data Report for 2017 **1981-2010 Environment Canada Long Term Average calculated using weather records for 1981-2010. Kitimat LTA Data is from Fire Hall Weather Station (“Kitimat Townsite”). Source: Climate Data Services, Environment Canada 6 Kitimat’s annual snowfall may seem exceptional but the District of Kitimat’s Public Works Department keeps main roads clear of snow and clears residential streets on a daily basis. Pedestrian walkways and sidewalks are also cleared frequently. Winter rainfall helps keep roads bare and reduces snowfall accumulation on the ground. Average daily temperature in degrees Celsius by month (2017 data) is as follows: WINTER MONTHS* SPRING MONTHS* SUMMER MONTHS* FALL MONTHS* 2017** LTA*** 2017** LTA*** 2017** LTA*** 2017** LTA*** DEC -0.6° -0.8° MAR -0.1° 3.2° JUN 13.4° 14.5° SEP 13.5° 12.6° JAN -2.7° -1.7° APR 7.7° 7.1° JUL 15.6° 16.7° OCT 6.2° 7.2° FEB 1.6° 0.3° MAY 11.5° 11.0° AUG 16.9° 16.5° NOV 0.0° 1.8° ** 2017 data, “Kitimat Townsite”, Taken from Environment Canada Daily Data Report for 2017. ***Environment Canada Long Term Average calculated using weather records from 1971-2000. Kitimat LTA data is from Fire Hall Weather Station (“Kitimat Townsite”) Source: Climate Data Services Environment Canada 7 02 DEMOGRAPHICS The following human resource and demographic forbidden to copy data or re-disseminate data, sections have been compiled using statistical in an original or modified form, for commercial data, primarily from Statistics Canada, from Cen- purposes, without permission from Statistics sus years 2011 and 2016. Both Census years have Canada. Information on the availability of the been used where comparisons are appropriate. wide range of data from Statistics Canada can Please note that the 2011 National Household be obtained from Statistics Canada’s Regional Survey was voluntary, whereas the 2016 Census Offices, its World Wide Web site at www .statcan.ca, was compulsory. Thus, caution should be exercised and its toll-free access number: in making comparisons between 2011 and 2016. 1-800-263-1136. It should be noted that many of the Census Additional data has been retrieved from BC statistics are based on 25% sample data, and Stats (the central statistical agency of the Prov- inferences are made by Statistics Canada for the ince of British Columbia) and from the District of population of Kitimat.